As we look to this new year and how we can best utilize this blog to connect with and help our community, I first want to look back to 2012 and learn from you all. How have you used social media (twitter, blogs, facebook, etc.) for professional development, networking, and, in general, furthering your career? Has this blog been useful for you? How? What would you recommend we improve for this coming year?

Since graduate school, when the issues facing women in STEM first became apparent to me, I’ve been involved in several programs that seek to increase the number of women in STEM majors and career fields; most of these programs focus on K12 female students. Some of these programs have national reputations, such as ExpandingYour Horizons, while others are regional, such as Girls Go Tech or Techbridge. Still others are local one-off events, such as when female scientists participate on conference panels, gather in focus groups, or visit classrooms. Though there is a national need to promote STEM to young women and many many organizations are conducting programs to do so, I wonder if these programs are working and if they really are making any difference at all.

I wonder this because yet another report about the lack of women in STEM fields has been released.

Back to top.5. Post Doc Family Leave Policies at Various InstitutionsFrom: CSWA

[In last week's issue #2, the AAS Special Session on Family Leave Policies and Childcare for Graduate Students and Postdocs was briefed. One outcome presented in the session is provided below for your incoming and current postdocs toolkit -- eds.]

Laura Trouille and Nick Murphy of AAS CSWA compiled results from an AAS CSWA survey sent to various postdoc affairs offices. The results include which universities offer paid leave, retention of university benefits, inclusion of domestic partners, etc. This should be part of every post doc candidate's tool kit.

Back to top.6. Negotiation Skills Workshop for Graduate StudentsFrom: WIPHYS, January 9, 2013

A Negotiation Skills Workshop designed for graduate students and young professionals will be held on Sunday, March 17 in conjunction with the APS March Meeting in Baltimore. The workshop will be held at the Hilton Baltimore, and the time of the workshop will be determined after feedback is collected from interested participants. There is no cost to attend, but application is necessary.

Back to top.8. Want to Host the Next Undergraduate Women in Physics Conference?From: Michele M. Montgomery [montgomery_at_physics.ucf.edu]

Applications are now being accepted for institutions interested in hosting one of the next Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWIP). The conferences are held over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend in mid-January of following years.

The NASA YSS Undergraduate Planetary Science Research Conference will be held at the 44th LPSC conference March 18-22 in The woodlands, Texas. In addition to students presenting their research, the conference will have panels on choosing the right graduate school. Applications are due by February 8. To learn about travel support and how to apply, please see:

The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) invites undergraduates with 50+ semester hours of credit to apply for their 2013 summer intern program. Interns will work one-on-one with either an LPI scientist or a NASA Johnson Space Center scientist in planetary science. To learn more about the 10-week program that begins June 3, please see

For more information, please contact Claudia Quintana at 281-486-2159 or internprogram_at_lpi.usra.edu. Applications are due by January 18!

Back to top.11. APS/IBM Research Internships for Undergraduate WomenFrom: WIPHYS, January 9, 2013

APS and IBM co-sponsor a research internship program for undergraduate women. The goal is to encourage women students to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering. The internships are salaried positions typically 10 weeks long at one of three IBM research locations (San Jose, CA, Austin, TX, or Yorktown Heights, NY), and give the opportunity to work closely with an IBM mentor. Learn more at:

APS and IBM are also partnering to offer a summer research internship for underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans). Learn more here: www.almaden.ibm.com/almaden/diversity

The Center for Exploration in Space Science and Technology at NASA Goddard Space Flight (GSFC) Center partnership is accepting applications from undergraduate students to participate in 10-week summer internships at GSFC for summer 2013. Deadline for application is February 1.